Access to pornography via internet a major concern

The availability and accessibility of illicit material ranging from pornography to demonology and Satanism over the internet is become a major concern, authorities were told in a regional meeting.

The National reported that a regional meet was hosted by the Censorship Office and Constitutional Law Reform Commission (CLRC) on the review of the 1989 Censorship Act in Lae and a major issue raised was the access of pornography via the internet.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church National Youth Director, Reuben Mete, questioned the regulation of uploading and sharing of pornographic and illicit videos on social media networks which he described as dangerous.

NICTA legal services manager, Ivan Milleng, responded that a cyber-crime policy would address these issues. He said sites that share pornography and illicit material would be blocked when the government endorses the policy.

Editor’s note

Most major social network providers like Facebook and video sharing giant Youtube have a strict policy against uploading and sharing nudity, pornographic or illicit material.

Facebook, on their Community Standards page clearly states:

“Facebook has a strict policy against the sharing of pornographic content and any explicitly sexual content where a minor is involved. We also impose limitations on the display of nudity. We aspire to respect people’s right to share content of personal importance, whether those are photos of a sculpture like Michelangelo’s David or family photos of a child breastfeeding.”

Youtube has similar guidelines

“YouTube is not for pornography or sexually explicit content. If this describes your video, even if it’s a video of yourself, don’t post it on YouTube. Also, be advised that we work closely with law enforcement and we report child exploitation.”